Directed By Josh Cooley
Starring – Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson
The Plot – The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
Rated PG for sci-fi violence and animated action throughout, and adult language.
POSITIVES
For an inconsistent franchise that doesn’t always have the audience’s best interests at heart, ‘Transformers One’ feels like the long-anticipated breath of fresh air that its fandom has been eagerly awaiting, with a fresh cleaning of the slate, both narratively and artistically, that brought back feelings of the 1986 animated movie. I say that because first and foremost the film is animated, which not only elicits one of the most breathtaking presentations of the year by vibrantly bringing to life the immensity and imagination of Cybertron in ways the live action movies simply never could, but also in the defining attributes to character designs, complete with a boldness for emotional responses that coincides candidly with the deliveries of this star-studded ensemble. While it would be great for live action to be able to channel aspects to the devastation, and intensity of the action set pieces, without it coming across as artificially hollow, animation is simply the only way to do a titanic property like this justice, and it does so by effortlessly immersing the audience into the established setting, from the opening shot comparing size to scale between Optimus and Cybertron. In addition, the story also goes in rewind, as the film ultimately serves as a prequel to the friendship-turned-conflict of Optimus and Megatron, which is fully realized in the extent of a buddy comedy with dependency to gags that I truly wasn’t expecting. As to where comedy has been the nail in the coffin to the live action properties, here screenwriters Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari conjure a light-hearted atmosphere that continuously perseveres dominantly throughout the film’s first half, with effective deliveries that not only amplify the uniqueness in personalities between these characters, but also in making so many of these vital interactions feel infused with the kind of energy and synergy that articulates this brotherhood in bond. Despite knowing essentially what’s coming between them, I indulged greatly in the vulnerable sides to these characters, before they were ever given their powers, with frequent doses of humility that prove their transformation was anything but overnight. Beyond this, the decision to spend the entirety of the film on Cybertron is one that longtime fans will appreciate, especially in learning about the workforce of the planet that drives these compartmentalized classes. Likewise, the inevitable conflict is conjured with a proper motivation for Megatron that simultaneously channels something the audience can coherently interpret, while tweaking his personality naturally throughout the engagement, giving us a compelling arc that we’re definitely forced to keep tabs on, but beyond that illustrating the tragic aspect to the deteriorating friendship, which still hits with all of the dramatic feels and intensity, despite so much of the comedic dependency during the first half that could’ve certainly bled over to the climax. Beyond sight and story, the performances are off of the chain from this extensive ensemble, but particular kudos goes to Hemsworth, Johansson and especially Henry, who cement so much range and evolution to their respective characters. Despite none of them truly losing the familiarity of their vocals in the depths of the portrayals, they enhance the characters with so much radiating charisma to the occasion, with Johansson’s bone dry deliveries matching Hemsworth’s bravado beat for beat, until Henry becomes the unchained force that he, like Megatron, has always been destined for. In a sense, Henry’s work here is two performances for the price of one, which can be defined and divided by the character earning his spark, with a gentle and hearty side of his opening half balanced by the coldly unforgiving side of the movie’s second half, earning for him what I truly feel is some of his best work to date, especially in playing against type as a ruthless antagonist in the making. In terms of technicalities, beyond the luminating canvas that entices audiences into this world from the opening shot, the score from longtime Marvel collaborator, Brian Tyler, ratchets a thunderously intense and emphatic series of compositions that enthralls so many of these action sequences with urgency, when it’s not tugging at your heartstrings during one key moment that changes everything between these friends. Tyler’s work could easily feel repetitive or soulless if phoned in, but the slight deviations on familiar instrumentals from the 80’s TV show gives the music a keen sense of genetic make-up that deeply values its rich history, reaching cleverly for the much-needed fan service that only inspires affirmation from a fanbase that is tired of having their trust broken.
NEGATIVES
While there certainly is more than meets the eye to this surprisingly beneficial reimagining, some unfortunate aspects still make their presence felt to the engagement, keeping it a couple of steps from accomplishing itself as possibly the single greatest Transformers film to date. For starters, and perhaps less problematic, the film is heavily predictable, not only in the developments of the characters associated with the primary plot, but in the structure of its directional outline, which as a buddy comedy feels like too many other prequel films that delved into the pasts of its characters. One film not expected under that banner is ‘X-Men: First Class’, as a science-fiction action film, however when you compare the key components to both scripts, you start to see how interchangeable and derivative so many of these prequel films actually are, and while I was firmly invested to what the film was throwing at me, there was nothing featured that ever truly deviated away from the path that has been most traveled, leaving slightly more to be desired with these flimsily familiar character studies. Speaking of vital characterization, some familiar characters are abruptly introduced during the film’s second and third acts, with little in the way of proper fleshing out in exploration, or even effectiveness in their lack of importance to this particular script. For faithful fans of these characters, I get a feeling the lack of proper usage might hinder their connection to the film quite a bit, and while I can respect the production for keeping the engagement trim at a brief but impactful 99 minutes, I wish some of those moments were spent digging a little deeper to establish a connection between key Autobots with future implications. Finally, while I previously praised much of the urgency and fun factors of the action sequences, especially with illustrations conveying velocity, I found the cinematography to completely smother depiction, primarily on detection of physical interaction that is often depicted too swiftly to feel coherent. While I’ve definitely had far worse, with regards to shaking camera captivation, I can say for an animated film that the captured imagery here is really quite sloppy and even erratic, and especially in the case of a film with so much permeating beauty in the layers of its jaw-dropping animation, the chore that comes with deciphering some of the film’s most exciting sequences, comes with the kind of grave difficulty that prescribes motion sickness, instead of manic mayhem.
OVERALL
‘Transformers One’ is a welcome addition of an origin story to an underwhelming franchise, whose blast to the past captivity elicits a deteriorating friendship responsible for the fate of mankind. With lusciously detailed animation, star-shining turns, and surprisingly effective humor that keeps the engagement lighthearted without compromising its dramatic integrity, the deviations help transform this film into the one that fans grew up adoring, even helping to override some of the conflicting attributes that have condemned lesser films of its franchise.
My Grade: 7/10 or B